The Heart of the Qur’an

Although the initial degree of the author of the book under review is in Pharmacy, he has studied Arabic and the Qur’anic sciences in Cairo, Egypt. There is a short preface to the book by Dr Haitham al-Haddad which ably explains the theme of Surah Yasin.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) had indicated that Yasin is the heart of the Qur’an due to its subject-matter that deals with man’s life in this world and his accountability to Allah for exercising his choice between good and evil. As the preface quite rightly emphasise, the readers of this chapter should go beyond mere formality and reading Yasin at funerals and at other similar formal occasions. In order to convey a full understanding of the subject- matter discussed in this Surah, the author has chosen to divide the verses into six thematic breakdowns starting with verses 1–12 and ending with verses 69–83, instead of choosing the traditional way of translating and explaining each verse. Furthermore, what distinguishes this work from other similar works are the diagrams explaining the verses through this unique system of thematic breakdowns. This provides the readers with a thorough understanding of the topics that are explained. The author has also provided a list of selected classical commentaries which he has consulted such as al-Tabari (d.310/923), al-Zamakhshari (d. 538/1144), Ibn Kathir (d. 774/1373) and others.